Goodman touts downtown progress in annual speech

Erin Neff

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001 | 11:15 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was supposed to talk for about 20 minutes Tuesday evening during his 2001 State of the City address.

But each bullet point in his speech carried his mind, mouth and enthusiasm off on a downtown redevelopment pep talk that doubled the length of the address and left about 200 residents and dignitaries nodding and clapping in agreement.

Goodman began and ended the speech at Las Vegas City Hall by reiterating "I am the happiest mayor in the world."

In between he crowed about new housing projects, a planned high-tech incubator, and the city's developing cultural amenities.

Yet despite achievements like the acquisition of 61 acres downtown, the city's designation as North America's only City of Asylum and cranes humming with activity downtown, Goodman redoubled his call for the gaming industry to help.

"I'm disappointed with those members of the private sector who have not offered their assistance," Goodman said. "Without their help, and they know who they are, we are not going to be the major league city we can be."

Goodman was quick to credit those in the community who are making a difference. He singled out The Tom Hom Group and the Pauls Corp., who are both building projects downtown and thanked those responsible for the City of Asylum.

Some of his biggest praise went to Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who announced Tuesday she had obtained a $750,000 redevelopment grant for the city.

The city plans to find land along direly blighted East Fremont Street for a new Metro Police substation. Preliminary plans call for Metro to leave its substation in the old Fifth Street School and relocate to a new facility, freeing the school up for other uses.

"It'll take Metro out of our Fifth Street School, ... at the same time we have a police presence in an area that needs it most," Goodman said.

The school currently houses UNLV's downtown campus.

After a short interlude in which he called on the city to sue the Department of Energy to prevent nuclear waste from being stored at Yucca Mountain, Goodman hammered away on redevelopment.

He spoke of plans to turn the Stewart Street post office into either a museum with a Smithsonian affiliation or an arts college with a cancer survivors park rising next door from a current parking lot.

Goodman reminded people of Union Pacific Railroad's pledge to donate 10 acres of land downtown for a cultural arts center.

"Now we're waiting for the private sector to come forward," Goodman said.

But clearly the jewel for the coming year and the possible legacy of the current council is the acquisition of 61 acres immediately adjacent to downtown.

"I don't know what's going to go there," Goodman said. "I don't know whether it's going to be residential or commercial. I can tell you one thing, it's going to be special."

The city has sent requests for qualifications to roughly 1,500 of the nation's top companies and developers.

Goodman said two possibilities include an academic medical center and a 20,000-seat soccer stadium.

But Goodman said the city's "bricks and mortar" needs are only some of the issues the council must solve.

Social challenges like education, health care, the homeless, chronic inebriates, mentally-ill and physically disabled residents, seniors and abused are problems the council should try to solve, not just manage, he said.

"Once again the private sector has to step up because these are their problems, not just the city of Las Vegas' problems," Goodman said.

After the speech, residents mingled with elected officials and city staff on the decorated City Hall plaza, eating light refreshments bought in bulk at Costco.

The whole soiree, including heat lamps and a bat-signal projection of the city seal on the 10-floor City Hall tower, cost the city $3,100 -- under budget and keeping with Goodman's vow to be fiscally responsible.